What do you do, when your unresolved past comes back to haunt you? Do you cower and hide? Or do you turn around and face it like a man?
Release date: 3 March 2023
Director: Michael B. Jordan
Producers: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Ryan Coogler, MORE
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros. Pictures
Story: Ryan Cooglar, Keenan Coogler, Zach Baylin
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, José Benavidez Jr., Mila Davis-Kent, Florian Munteanu, Wood Harris, Stephen A. Smith, Spence Moore II, Phylicia Rashad, Thaddeus J. Mixson
Summary
Creed 3 tells the story of a young Adonis and his best friend Damian “Diamond” Anderson and how their friendship turns sour both as a result of Damian’s incarceration, and Adonis’ inability to keep in touch. Damian returns from prison and practically demands a shot at the throne.
Creed 3 is both prequel and sequel to the previous Creed instalments and heralds Creed’s return from retirement to challenge and defeat both his former best friend and his own inner demons.
Story line
The idea of the long lost friend/rival coming back to reclaim what he believes is rightfully his, is one of the most overused tropes in Hollywood. But somehow it feels fresh in this movie. Dame showing up out of nowhere and shooting to the top is so unexpected and yet so intriguing as a storyline.
The story also shows Adonis confronting his personal demons, the roles he played in his friends incarceration, and the consequences of his past actions and mistakes. And depicts the path he takes in his quest for redemption.
This is the underdog of all underdog stories. Your estranged best friend coming back from 18 years in prison just to whoop your ass is quite the scary storyline. I ate it all up. The entitlement, the pizzazz, the fanfare, the private disgrace, the public glory, the story of redemption, everything just worked well for me and I loved this story so much. If this is the end to this beloved, incredible trilogy, I am content.
Costume and Setting
You can always tell when a movie about black culture and black power is produced and directed by black people: the swag comes through — no shade intended. The costumes are elegant, the setting is pristine, the vibe is Afro-American, and I’m not gonna lie, I’m glad Sylvester Stallone sat this one out and gave B. Jordan a chance to shine in the spotlight.
Wardrobe often makes the character. And the characters here had perfect fittings. Adonis was so freaking fresh in this movie. Also, every time a fight is about to ensue in the ring there are closeups of the gloves, shorts and eyes of the fighters. It makes for such a unique viewing experience.
I like when black excellence is shown in movies. Especially when it’s tastefully done. I’m not talking about bling and ice. I’m talking about see-through floors and all black interior leather in the double R. They did a great job of showing us how far Donnie had come from being the underdog in Creed 1. This may sound like a corny detail but even the earth used for Mary-Anne’s funeral was black and lush. It’s one thing to work out in a downtown gym. It’s another to do it in Beverly Hills with an Escalade chasing you.
Cinematography
One word: Astounding!
The cinematography is GREAT! Especially in the boxing scenes. The slow motion scenes placed in juxtaposition with the sped up shots are reminiscent of movies like Sherlock Holmes and 300, making it one of the most visually stunning and aesthetically appealing movies I’ve seen this year. You feel like you’re right there in the ring with them.
The scenes where he’s teaching his daughter that the essence of boxing isn’t violence, but timing and control are not just a nice setup for sequels or spin-offs. They double as stunning cinematography templates. Also, that part where Adonis and Dame turn to inadvertently look at each other with the wall standing between them was so pregnant with meaning, you could tell it was foreshadowing the final fight. The entry scene for Felix Chavez in the Championship fight with Dame was also a visual delight!
I love how the cinematographer, Kramer Morgenthau, shows how useless mid-round coaching is when you’re dizzy from collecting so many blows, by making Duke’s voice fade away in the final fight. I adore the scene where the camera flashes in the middle of the fight and everyone else disappears after they see each other as their younger selves. That part was so intense and the music and cinematography are simply astonishing. Overall, I think the visuals are nothing short of amazing.
Acting
Yes! This is quite the movie and ALL the characters delivered. I know this might sound like an unpopular opinion because you all want to cancel Majors, but the cast of this movie GREATLY delivered in this category. Everyone was on their A-game! Casting for young Adonis and young Dame was also perfectly done.
I’m glad I got to see the romance between Killmonger and Valkyrie reignited. Creed 1 was such a beautiful movie partly because of the incredible on-screen chemistry of Thompson and Jordan. And all Kang could do was hate.
I also love that sign language was used a lot in this movie. Mostly cos that’s how they, Adonis and Bianca, communicated both with themselves and with their daughter who had a hearing impediment.
That said, I didn’t understand Adonis’ surprise when his mother showed him Damian’s letters. Dame had already told him that he wrote him from prison while they ate at the diner. Was he pretending not to know about the existence of the letters or did he forget? And Adonis had the chance to ask Mary-Anne when he came back from that particular outing, but he didn’t. That’s either shoddy scriptwriting or bad acting. Either way, that part confused me.
Music
“Things just ain’t the same for young Jermaine”
I HAD GOOSEBUMPS. FROM THE VERY START OF THE MOVIE. The movie opens with these guitar strings that were sampled off Dr. Dre’s 2001 feature hit-single The Watcher, and that’s a huge album for many hip hop fans. If you’re like me and you love rap music, you’ll be intrigued by what J. Cole does with the music in the movie. The Dreamville cast really delivered with incredible rap transitions in both English and French.
Nah. The soundtrack to this movie is incredible. Jermaine Cole for President and Vice. Kehlani’s Shadows was a beautiful background song for that label party scene. When Grinding All My Life and Last Time That I Checc’d (both by Nipsey Hussle) came on in Dame’s first and last fight scenes on a championship stage, I felt them in my triceps, and when JERMAINE COLE STARTS RAPPING HIS SAMPLE OF THE WATCHER DURING ADONIS’ TRAINING SCENE, I SPILLED MY POPCORN!
I love when a producer knows how to use music to control moods in a movie. It’s a very powerful tool, and when used efficiently it can make or mar a movie. In this case co-producer, Michael B. Jordan, makes it highly enjoyable. I enjoyed that sonic experience. Imagine my joy as a proper Naija boy hearing Kel-P vocals during the post credits.
Side note: Arya Starr is in all the OSTs that have resonated with me lately: Creed 3 and the deluxe OST of Across The SpiderVerse. Safe to say her Starr is rising.
Rating
4D
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Daring. Dynamite. Delightful. Divine.
Watching this in the cinema was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have been following the Creed story ever since the first one. It’s my generation’s Rocky and I have absolutely loved B. Jordan’s depiction of Adonis Creed.
I hope there are more sequels and they can take my money as many times as they can make movies like this. Highly recommended both for a cinema experience, and a late night movie cap. Absolutely breathtaking!
